2010s

New Commitments

2010

Jack Shewmaker, champion for Every Day Low Prices and Walmart's adoption of new technologies, passes away.

2010

Walmart ranks number one on the Fortune 500 list for the fifth time since 2002.

2010

Feeding America magazine names Walmart and Sam’s Club Donor of the Year 2010. Walmart and Sam’s Club are the first Feeding America donors to give away more than 100 million pounds of food in one calendar year.

2010

Walmart commits $2 billion to help end hunger in the United States through its “Fighting Hunger Together” initiative.

2010

Walmart launches a global commitment to sustainable agriculture. The company helps small farmers to reduce the impact of farming on the environment and to expand their businesses, thereby strengthening local economies.

2011

Walmart experiments with small-format stores, opening the first Walmart Express in Arkansas.

2011

@WalmartLabs is formed to develop technology to assist Walmart in serving customers.

2011

Walmart launches the Global Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative to use the company's global scale to help empower women across its supply chain.

2011

Walmart expands its business into South Africa by acquiring 51 percent of Massmart Holdings Limited.

“We're trying to learn from Sam Walton, learn from competition, and on aglobal basis be able to be the very best as we try to bring it all together.”

Doug McMillon

2011

The first Walmart on Campus is opened at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Artist Brendan O’Connell gains international notoriety and media attention for his series of paintings depicting Walmart store interiors, and the brands that fill Walmart shelves. This O’Connell piece, “The Art of Retail” hangs in The Walmart Museum.

2013

In January, Walmart announces it will hire any honorably discharged veteran within his or her first 12 months off active duty beginning on Memorial Day. Walmart projects hiring over 100,000 veterans in the next five years.

2013

Walmart acquires Bharti Walmart Private Limited, including the Best Price Modern Wholesale cash-and-carry business in India.

2013

Walmart opens its first stores in the District of Columbia.

Little Known Sparks

When did Walmart become the largest private employer in the world: ’99, ’01, or ’05?

By the end of 2014 fiscal year, the company has a total of 10,942 stores, including 4,203 Walmarts and 632 Sam's Clubs in the United States and 6,107 international stores. The company employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Annual sales are $473 billion.

“Isn't it great to see people do more than they ever dreamed they could do ... or you thought they could do. That's the fun of this business, as far as I'm concerned.”

The Walmart Spark represents the spark of inspiration Sam felt when he first founded Walmart. It's that same inspiration our associates and our customers feel when we save people money so they can live better.

The first offering, on October 1, 1970, was $16.50 per share. Since then, Walmart stock has split two-for-one eleven times. That means a person who bought 100 shares for $1,650 in 1970 would, in 2015, have 204,800 shares, worth more than $17 million.

2015

Walmart U.S. launches Grocery Pickup after successful testing in several markets in the United States.

Little Known Sparks

Walmart’s original logo, in Frontier font, had a tilde, but most didn’t know what a tilde was. So the tilde became the squiggly.

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2015

In early 2015, past and current leaders posed at The Walmart Museum for a historic photo in CEO #1 Sam Walton’s office. Pictured here are, from left to right: CEO #2 David Glass, CEO #3 Lee Scott, Chairman of the Board Rob Walton, CEO #4 Mike Duke, and current CEO Doug McMillon.

2015

Doug McMillon holds Sam's name badge. Shortly after this photo was taken, Walmart showed its commitment to its people by pledging $1 billion to raise the company's starting wage.

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”

Sam Walton

2015

The Walmart Museum opens an interview studio and names it in honor of Ferold Arend. The studio was created to capture oral histories that tell the Walmart story.

The Walmart Museum launches WalmartMuseum.com with the purpose of globally sharing the Walmart heritage and the stories behind the company’s history.

2015

Sam Walton's iconic ball cap is installed and featured in the Smithsonian's permanent "American Enterprise" exhibit at the National Museum of American History.

Little Known Sparks

In 1945, Sam opened his first Ben Franklin store in which Arkansas town?

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Sam opened his first Ben Franklin store in Newport, Arkansas.

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By the Numbers

By 2015, the company has a total of 11,453 stores, including 4,516 Walmarts and 647 Sam’s Clubs in the United States and 6,290 international stores. The company employs 2.2 million associates worldwide.

“In our story, the hero is you—our associates. We aren't more powerful than a locomotive or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound … We do have superpowers, though, and they are real. They're our passion, our commitment to our customers, our caring for one another. Really, our superpowers are those that help us make someone's day better, their life better.”

On October 11, Walmart's first president Ferold Arend passes away. The community remembers him and his many contributions.

Little Known Sparks

Which U.S. president gave Sam the highest civilian honor?

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In 1992, President George H. W. Bush honored Sam with the Medal of Freedom.

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2015

Greenlight A Vet, a Walmart-led campaign to establish visible national support for our veterans by changing one light to green, is launched.

“Our company has made major strides since we embarked on this journey, and our focus for the next decade will remain the same: doing the right thing for our customers, our communities, people working in the supply chain and the planet. Our approach to global responsibility not only makes sense for the environment, but it’s also good for our customers, and our business.”

“Looking ahead, we will compete with technology, but win with people. We will be people led and tech empowered. We will win because we are purpose driven, with clear and meaningful values and an effective and resilient culture. ”